VBS July 9 13: Our Community Needs You!

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1 VBS July 9 13: Our Community Needs You! Effec ve June 17 August 26, FUMC will run a modified worship schedule as follows: 9:00 am: Tradi onal Service 10:30 am: Contemporary Service There will be Children s Worship opportuni es at both services in lieu of tradi onal Sunday school. Adult classes will meet at 10:15 am (see page two). VBS is a summer tradi on that we joyfully share with local kids. VBS Director Heather Nye has been busy organizing volunteers and collec ng supplies to create an amazing experience. This year s theme, Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus, will provide kids with a daily memorable Bible point that will be applied to their daily lives long a er VBS is over. We have four volunteer slots s ll open. Contact Heather at VBS@FranconiaUMC.org for info. Important VBS dates: June 2 and 10 mandatory child safety training (see page three of this issue) July 6, 7 and 8 set up/decora ng Shea (le ) and Mike are just two of the mul genera onal volunteers who have combined talents to make this year s VBS a memorable experience. There s room for you! 2018 Confirmands Grow in Faith and Service On Pentecost Sunday, May 20, Franconia welcomed two new members through the confirma on process. Dilan Baybas and Shea Porter Miller completed their studies and field trips including trips to a local synagogue and the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Congratula ons Dilan and Shea! Keeping Up To Date at FUMC! The Chimes is a quarterly newsle er providing updates on our faith community ways to be involved in upcoming events and photos and short reports on the prior quarter s ac vi es. Your event photos are welcome! Send to Sharon Sheldon (SharonSheldon@Franconia UMC.org by Aug. 15 for the next newsle er. 1

2 Graduates to be Recognized at June 10 Recep on Join us at 12 noon for a recep on to congratulate the following members and wish them well in their future endeavors: High School: Caleb Bloodworth, South County Julia Deutsch, Edison Julia Emans, Hayfield David Ingle, Robinson Alex Possey, Hayfield College: Sussie Owusu Ansah, University of Virginia, B.A., Psychology Jessica (Sheldon) Reeves, Christopher Newport University, B.S.B.A., Finance June 17 Time to Give Thanks, Memorialize Dads and Father Figures A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unno ced, and yes, one of the most valuable assets in our society. Billy Graham Please gather for a cake and beverage recep on on Father s Day, 11:30 am, to recognize the dads and father figures among us. Debbie Gordon, Chair Nurture and Care Ministries Inclusive Summer Program Kicks Off June 26 Mark your calendars, slather on some sunscreen and get ready to join in on some good old fashioned fun! Open to all ages/stages these are mul genera onal events: June 26, 4:30 6:30 pm Remember Your Bap sm (water games) July 1, 3:00 5:00 pm You Are God s Masterpiece (squirt gun art) July 6, 5:00 7:00 pm Loaves and Fishes (picnic and yard games) July 22, 3:00 5:00 pm Movie Ma nee (Cokesbury Hall) July 29, 3:00 5:00 pm Seek and Ye Shall Find (scavenger hunt) Aug. 3, 5:00 7:00 pm Loaves and Fishes, part II (picnic and yard games) Aug. 5, 7:00 9:00 pm Bonfire & S more Jesus Aug. 12, 3:00 5:00 pm VBS reunion (games and songs) Aug. 19, 3:00 5:00 pm Scribes, Not Pharisees (sidewalk chalk) Aug. 26, 3:00 5:00 pm Ecclesiastes 3:1 End of Summer Carnival and Tie Dye (bring tshirt) All events take place in the back field and lot unless otherwise noted. To help with these events, contact Pastor James, , Youth@FranconiaUMC.org. Adult Small Group Opportuni es In his preface to the 1739 hymnal, Methodism founder John Wesley was adamant that the gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness. The three founda onal skills for every disciple are read, share and pray. A ending a Bible study or small group study gives us these skills as we learn from each other and pray with each other and are be er equipped to go out into the world. Any of these classes are easy to join and all are welcomed in their discussions. They will be mee ng throughout the summer on a regular basis. Whether you are new to the Bible or have taken may studies, there is always more to learn. Sundays at 10:15 am : Span of Ages (small kitchen, Sanctuary building), Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus The Seekers (C305, third floor of Cokesbury building) Studies include history of ancient culture and Chris an faith and how it is working in today s world events. Mondays at 7:00 pm: Old/New Testament Studies (parsonage mee ng house) Wednesdays at 10:00 am : Old/New Testament Studies (small kitchen, Sanctuary building) Please feel free to contact me with your ideas for new studies or small groups. I can be reached by , phone or text (Educa on@franconiaumc.org, ) Barb Lawrence, Chair Adult Educa on Ministry 2

3 Race and Faith Discussion Con nues; Next Gathering is June 3 FUMC s newly formed Ministry on Racial Jus ce is hos ng a monthly book discussion on the first Sunday of each month that will cover a few chapters of the book, Gracism, by David Anderson. The first gathering occurred in May and covered chapters 1 3. The next gathering is Sunday, June 3, 4:00 5:00 pm, covering chapters 4 6. The parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. 1 Corinthians 12:23 When people deal with color, class or culture in a nega ve way, that s racism. But the answer is not to ignore differences as if they don t ma er. Instead we can focus on diversity in a posi ve way, as an opportunity to show God s favor to others. That s gracism. For more details about this ministry, speak with Dar Davis or Jess Posey. This summer the youth will engage in a series of pop up gatherings instead of regular mee ng mes. Make sure Pastor James (Youth@FranconiaUMC.org) has your contact info so you can be kept updated as to what s being planned. Youth (rising grades 7 12) should meet the group at these loca ons on these dates and mes: Tues., June 28, 2:00 pm Springfield Towne Center food court Thurs., July 26, 2:00 pm Top Golf in Kingstowne Thurs., Aug. 2, 2:00 pm Chipotle, Kingstowne Thurs., Aug.16, 2:00 pm Dave & Buster s, Springfield Towne Center Like Working with Our Kids? Please Get Trained! FUMC s Safe Sanctuaries policy outlines that all adults (18 and over) working with children must receive child safety training on a regular basis. To get ready for the summer ac vi es and VBS, we will host training on these two dates: Sat., June 2, 9:00 11:00 am Sun., June 10, 12:30 2:30 pm If you re helping with kids, please a end these training sessions. Pastor James ( , Youth@FranconiaUMC.org). VBS Sunday: Celebrate with Ice Cream Social Sunday, July 15 is VBS Sunday and we ll celebrate the VBS par cipants, teachers and helpers. Nurture & Care Ministries will host an ice cream social at 11:30 am in Cokesbury Hall to celebrate another successful year in the life of VBS. To God be the Glory! Debbie Gordon, Chair Nurture and Care Ministries SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE (June 17 Aug. 26) 9:00 am Tradi onal Worship 10:30 am Contemporary Worship Children s both services 3

4 The CHIMES General Conference Briefing Set for Aug. 8, Open to All The Alexandria and Arlington Districts will host Martha Stokes, the Virginia UM Conference s General Conference delega on leader, to help us be er understand the Called General Conference process (set for February 2019) and the plans being presented by the Way Forward Commission. Gather on Aug. 8 at St. George s UMC, Fairfax (free, open to all). Please register at briefing/ 10 am Clergy Session 7 pm Laity Session Bishops Propose Plan for Way Forward To find a way forward on the denomina on s posi on on homosexuality, the Council of Bishops (CoB) is submi ng the One Church Plan as their recommenda on to the special General Conference, Feb , 2019 in St. Louis. The One Church Plan calls for decisions about whether to ordain LGBTQ clergy or to allow clergy to officiate at same gender unions to be made closer to the congrega onal level. In addi on to the One Church Plan, the Bishops will also submit two other plans as part of their report. To read more about these plans visit media/bishops propose plan for way forward/ Contact Pastor Melissa with ques ons. A Place Called Home In My Father s house there are many dwelling places. John 14:2 The new testament scriptures speak me and again of the family of God, of loving one another as brothers and sisters, and children of God. Explore what it means to have a place to call home in your spiritual life. June 17 You re Family June 24 All are Welcome July 1 Always Room for One More July 8 Residing in Love July 15 Always Blessing, Always Blessed COME TO YOUR SENSES Five Sundays focusing on experiencing God through each of the five senses. Join us to explore the everyday experiences of God that we tend to easily overlook, by using each of our five senses. July 22 Touch and Feel God s Presence July 29 A Scent Pleasing to the Lord Aug. 5 Taste and See that the Lord is Good Aug. 12 Listen and Hear God s Voice Aug. 19 Look and See What God Has Done ARE YOU KIDDING? At that me the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom. Ma hew 18:1 2 Let s look at Jesus s parables through the eyes of children, discovering a surprising wisdom in them that adults frequently miss...un l they become like children. Aug. 26 Become Like a Child Sept. 2 Be Nice? Sept. 9 Thank You and Please? Sept. 16 Share and Share Alike? Sept. 23 Say Nice Things? Sept. 30 Mind Your Manners? Recorded sermons in mp3 format are uploaded to the website as available. 4

5 Right: Pastor James (center, GMU) poses with one of the AGC classes. I have enjoyed spending me with the kids of FUMC s outreach mission preschool, All God s Children. I teach the children during weekly chapel me, and see some of them on Sundays, too! We are building a strong rela onship with these families and enjoy seeing them at worship and other events. We look forward to further welcoming more AGC and community families this summer for our Fun in the Son events (see page 2). Pastor James Harris, Director Children and Youth Ministries Serving in the Community and Beyond Through the FUMC Mission Ministry, our church has played a cri cal role in suppor ng our community and sharing the love of Christ through several programs. Photos of recent service ac vi es can be seen on pages six and seven of this issue. We look forward to seeing you at future events. Upcoming events include: Summer groceries for families at Franconia ES who struggle with food insecurity Food baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas for Koinoina Founda on clients Holiday canned goods drive filling local food pantries Mustang tree Gi s for Franconia ES families in need; this event is partnered with our Outreach ministry Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event see the chart on page three help us package 10,000 meals on Oct. 7. Missions is in the process of selec ng a UM missionary to support with prayers and financial help, as well as the considera on of a monthly meal for Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church in Alexandria. Addi onal updates for ways to serve will appear in the weekly Happenings thanks for your con nued support! David Blau, Chair Missions Ministry Dinners for 8 or D48 as it s known around FUMC, is a great way to socialize with other Franconians in a relaxed se ng. To par cipate, check the box on the back of your Connect card and we ll see you at dinner! Calendar Notes More about these events will be available soon. How to keep in the know about upcoming events? Weekly Happenings bulle n insert TV monitor slides Website FUMC Facebook page Sunday morning worship announcements Aug. 2 Kingdom Heroes tween (10 12) group gatherings resume Sept. 2 Youth Group kick off Sept. 8, 4:30 pm Back Yard BBQ community event Oct. 7, noon Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event Oct. 20, 6 pm Annual Fall Fes val and Trunk or Treat community event Nov. 18, 5 pm FUMC Community Turkey Dinner Dec. 8, 5 pm Night in Bethlehem community event How s that for a tle? You too can be an FUMC Office Angel by helping out our Office Manager Heather needs some willing hands to fold bulle ns and help with other tasks on occasion. Please check in and let her know help is on the way! Call or ( , ChurchOffice@FranconiaUMC.org). Thanks! 5

6 Winter and Spring Ac vi es Serving and Sharing with One Another le Living Last Supper drama March 22 and (below) the Tomb used for the March 25 Walk Through Holy Week event These photos represent just some of our events; if you have photos of other events, please share them with us! Phoenix Rising Meal Sack Delivery 200 meals are made and delivered every 4th Friday; in March, a local Junior Girl Scout troop donated boxes of cookies to pleasantly surprised meal recipients. This ministry has become a community tradi on with scou ng troops and local friends helping out on a regular basis. UMCOR hygiene kits assembly of 220 kits on April 15 (above and right) that will be used for those in need (natural disasters, etc.) April 15 UMCOR Kits (right, and bo om) 220 UMCOR hygiene kits were assembled for delivery to Annual Conference. The kits contain essen als needed by those suffering from effects of natural disasters or enduring conflict in their countries. (above) Same Kind of Different as Me Movie Night and Discussion April 22 This movie night was jointly sponsored by the Racial Jus ce and Nurture and Care Ministries. A movie theme snack bar was set up for snacking, and guided smallgroup discussion followed the movie. Based on the bestselling book of the same tle by Ron Hall, the movie chronicles an unlikely friendship between two men of very different cultural upbringings and world views. 6

7 A Reflec ve Look Back Growing Closer as a Community April 29 All Church Birthday Party and Pot Luck Dinner (above and right) Twelve tables were decorated with a specific month s theme and cakes for each month were provided by FUMC community members. A endees sat at their birth month table to get to know one another be er. Table games and interac ve Biblical audience par cipa on story brought much laughter. More themed pot lucks will be coming. Thanks to the members of our Nurture and Care Ministries for this great event. The Pad Project April 6 and May 21 (above and le ) Last December members of the Mom s LIFE Bible study and others from FUMC began mee ng to sew washable reusable maxi pads for women in impoverished parts of the world such as Kenya, Cambodia and Afghanistan. Pads are provided to school aged girls and women who were otherwise forced to miss school due to lack of feminine hygiene products. In April, a local AuPair group (above) worked on this project as a community service project. FUMC members gathered in May (photos at right). The current pad count is now at 47. These events are wonderful opportuni es to serve and are also a me of fun fellowship. Come to the Pad Project group on the first Friday of every month, and watch for future Saturday morning Pad Project events to be announced. Andrea Blau, Coordinator The Pad Project Thanks to the following Franconians for generously sharing their photos for this issue: Suzanne Ackley, Elaine Balducci, Andrea Blau, David Blau, Vikki Beaty, James Harris and Heather Nye. 7

8 Administra ve News BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS IS AUG. 26 Bring your kids and their backpacks to 9 or 10:30 am worship on Aug. 26. Spread the word; all kids and backpacks need blessings! 6037 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA The Chimes is published quarterly by the Franconia United Methodist Church Pastor: Melissa Porter Miller Chimes Editor: Sharon Sheldon (next deadline Aug. 15) Staff: Director of Children/Youth Ministries: James Harris Office Manager: Heather Nye AGC Director: Kim Santoro Church Hours: Sunday Worship (June 17 Aug. 26, 2018): 9:00 am Tradi onal with Children s Church 10:30 am Contemporary with Children s Church Adult Sunday School: 10:15 Sunday Nursery: 8:45 11:45 am Office Hours: M Th, 8:30 am 3:30 pm Trustees Report April winds caused severe damage to the church roof but our insurance company is covering the bulk of the cost for the new roof. In July we ll install new windows on the first floor of the sanctuary building. Like mowing lawns? The trustees have decided to purchase equipment that will free up funds now spent on mowing fees for other missions. If you would like to know more about this, me, Trustees@FranconiaUMC.org. Just a reminder help us keep our popcorn ceilings safe please do not hang anything from the ceilings in the church rooms. The trustees are grateful for your support your thes and offerings to the capital fund help us keep the property in shape. John Nicholson, Chair Board of Trustees Communica ons Report FUMC s Logo was adopted in February following a church wide survey, an interna onal design contest, and a church wide poll that concluded which design best represents the key themes that members associate with FUMC: community, warm, welcoming, diverse, mul genera onal, Christ centered and reaching into the community. Publicity: Help us help you publicize FUMC events! Send all per nent details to News@FranconiaUMC.org. Your will automa cally be forwarded to everyone on the Communica ons Team responsible for internal and external publicity (The Happenings, TV monitor, outdoor sign, website, etc.). Lead me: at least four weeks no ce for internal ads; and at least eight weeks for large community events. Sign up Procedures: In addi on to the Connect Card in your bulle n, there is now a dedicated page on the FUMC website which will maintain a current set of links where members can sign up for events or ac vi es. See signup Google mail and G Suites: All staff and many in volunteer leadership are now using addresses for ease of communica ons. These e mails will build con nuity by allowing them to be re assigned to successors. We will be exploring how the business applica ons bundled with G Suites will help us to organize our ministries. Church Directory: Elaine Balducci worked with Lifetouch Studios to create a new pictorial directory, which should be available soon. Jeff Sheldon,Chair Communica ons Ministry 8